Comin' From Where I'm From
by S. Mark Gunther
Summary: Todd makes big choices and makes new friends. Chapter 7 is up. ToddKitty or ToddWanda ? Vote For A Pairing!
1. Hating, Loathing, Crying, Confessing

Comin' From Where I'm From  
By S. Mark Gunther 

"...Sitting here, guess I didn't make bail,  
Got time and a story to tell,  
Started when I was nine years old,  
Woke up and daddy was gone,  
I started hustling, they couldn't tell me nothing,  
Fronting in the hood, trying to be somebody,  
My soul was on empty,  
I was searching for something,  
Tried to be good,  
Tried to keep from trouble,  
Living too fast,  
Trying to make good on a hustle...

Sometimes it gets rough,  
Comin' from where I'm from, I'm from...  
Times got hard,  
Comin' from where I'm from, I'm from...  
Sometimes you gotta walk to work,  
Comin' from where I'm from, I'm from...  
Sometimes you gotta do a little dirt,  
Comin' from where I'm from, I'm from..."

-- from 'Anthony Hamilton - Comin' From Where I'm From'

*** 

Todd Tolensky was tired.

The youngest, smallest, fundamentally weakest and downright wimpiest member of the brotherhood sat in his room and thought about this fact. He was tired. He was very tired. So tired, in fact, that he didn't even know what he was tired of. He knew that he hated being the weakling on the team, the one that Magneto always picked on, he was tired of being the scapegoat for everyone's plans gone awry, he was tired of being picked on by Duncan Matthews and the mongoloid idiot jocks and he hated being ignored by someone who he wanted to love but couldn't even get to say a single word to.

Todd Tolensky looked down at his hands and sighed. He was tired. He shook his head and looked around the room, noticing a book that had caused these thoughts inside of him. It was a book unlike any other except that it had once belonged to the X-Men. Professor Charles Xavier, to be exact. Todd looked at the book for a long time and didn't say anything. The words of Mystique still rang in his ears...

*** 

"You stupid imbecile! How could you get the shopping list wrong?!" Mystique screamed, her voice awakening small dogs several houses away. "And why is all the food covered in your slime?!"

"Yo, like I said! The X-Geeks attacked me while I was trying to make my getaway from the store," Todd replied, "Robbing places in the night isn't what I'm the best at doing. And besides, I don't know why you're angry. You weren't there while one eye decided to make me his personal bull's eye! You could have at least sent someone to help me!"

"Youknowyoucouldhaveatleastsavedsomeofmybeansproutsforme, Todd," Pietro said as he speeded around the room.

"I tried! I tried my best, yo!"

"And you're pitiful best just isn't good enough!" Mystique screamed her voice now breaking glasses in the kitchen. She looked down at the frog boy for a moment, then just shook her head and sighed. "Just go to your room, Todd. Go. And don't come down until you think you can actually do something right for a change. You're a failure and you'll never be nothing more then a loser unless you decide to shape up. Leave."

Todd tried to reply but was shut up by the fiery look in Mystique's eyes. Her silent face communicated more to him then her words ever did and with a sigh, he turned and hopped slowly up the stairs to his room. As he got to the door, he heard someone throw a dish against a wall, the shattering shocking him out of his momentary melancholy. A moment later, he heard Mystique saying to herself a touch too loudly:

"Stupid boy. I wish I'd never brought him in with us in the first place..."

*** 

Todd kept looking at the book, his feelings now muddied and obscured. For as he heard Mystique's voice in his head, he kept hearing other voices saying the same types of things. Magneto berating him in front of the rest of the team. Professor Xavier telling him he was nothing. His foster parents screaming at him to shape up. As he saw those visions in front of his eyes, he began to tear up. Big drops fell from his eyes as he walked over to the window.

His mind kept focusing in on one person in particular who shunned him before. The man who tried to bring him in but did it the exact wrong way. He looked out into the darkness of the night and made a decision. The window opened as he pulled it upwards and into the inky blackness Todd left the Brotherhood house.

*** 

Many times the control room in the X-Mansion was manned by one or more of the students there, an objective of the institute to make the students be responsible for their own space. Ownership of the mansion they all inhabited was something that Charles Xavier was very big on. But due to several different circumstances, only Ororo Munroe, the wind rider named Storm, was there in the main part of the mansion. The youth had gone out for the evening and most of the other adults were gone as well. So she was alone. She had a book in her hands that she was reading but she, from time to time, looked up to make sure all the monitors and sensors were working properly. Light classical music was playing over the speakers beside her console. All in all, it was a cozy place for an adult to chill and make sure things were alright.

So it was more then a bit of a surprise to her when she heard the main sensor go off at the front door of the mansion. Then, surprising her even more, the doorbell rang 7-8 times. She looked down at the camera display and saw something she rarely expected to see standing outside. Todd Tolensky was standing outside, looking rather pensive as he rang the doorbell. He looked around from time to time, as if trying to make sure nothing happened. Storm waited a moment, and then pushed a button on the control panel.

"Who is it?" Storm spoke out into the evening darkness. "What do you want here?"

"Um...I was just...just trying to see if I could speak to the Professor, yo," Todd said slowly while looking around outside, trying to find where the voice was coming from. "I really need to talk to him tonight, yo."

"He's not here right now, young man. You could come back another time..." Storm said, her voice calm a level despite her feeling that something was amiss. "Is there a specific reason you need to talk to him?"

"...I need to talk to him because he owes me an explanation as to why he didn't give me a fair shot, yo. And since he seems like the only one who's rejected me who's enough of a man to speak, I need to talk to him. He owes me, knaaamean?" Todd said, finally looking into the camera that was watching him. He didn't like this but it was enough that he was getting things out.

Storm let that statement sink in before sighing and looking around. She, in fact, did know where Professor Xavier was and knew he was probably monitoring the entire situation while he read. But she didn't want to wake him, knowing full well that the evening that was happening was most likely a fluke and wasn't going to ever happen again. Silence was at a premium at that house, and Storm knew the Professor just needed time for himself, by himself. But still...he would help a mutant in need. And she had pledged to do the same for all mutants.

"One moment, child." Storm said.

*** 

Todd stood outside and shivered slightly as he waited. Suddenly, the door opened and in front of the entrance stood Storm, in her house wear but still imposing looking. Her face was impassive and slightly authoritative but something in her expression to him made Todd want to run to her and hug her round the ankles, like a little child. Only his massive walls of ego and psyche kept him from doing so.

"Ummm...hi," Todd said slowly, showing off the incredible wit he was known for. "Can...Can I see baldy, yo?"

"Come in first while I explain some things to you, young man." Storm stepped back and watched as Todd hopped in, looking more the worse for wear then she normally saw him as. Considering she had only had a few glances at Todd in the times when the Brotherhood and the X-Men had teamed up, she wasn't ready to see how sallow and sunken Todd's features were. The frog boy's normally pale features were paler and more emaciated then usual and he seemed sadder then was his norm. She didn't like what she saw.

Todd looked around and marveled at how quiet it was in the house. "Where is everyone, yo? I thought you X-Geeks would be having a big sing-along in your big comfy mansion..." Todd said idly as he hopped from one foot to the next.

"The rest of the house is gone and I'm here because I chose to be here, young man. Now why are you here?" Storm said her normally huge reserves of patience beginning to fray just slightly at Todd's conduct towards her house. Todd, being far more observant then people gave him credit for, picked up on this and stopped hopping. He looked straight at Storm's eyes and tried to project as much pain as he could while trying, simultaneously, to tell her to go and fuck off.

"I thought you had something you wanted to explain to me, wind lady..."

"My name is Ororo Munroe. My name here is Storm and I'll explain what I have to say to you once you tell me why you're here." Storm tried to keep her voice light but the tone of her words came through. Storm was so sure she was going to scare him off that she was more then a little surprised when he suddenly leaped forward and hugged her around the legs, clinging to her as a little child would. She could feel him shuddering and begin to cry and in that moment, she realized that she had misread the entire encounter from the beginning. Todd wasn't here for a fight; he was finally here because he needed someone more then the Brotherhood could offer. Todd was here to find something more. And Storm was in a position to give it. But she didn't have to tell Charles Xavier about it right then. She could help him just on her own.

With a tug on his shirt, she pulled him up to a standing position. Once again, she marveled as to just how light he, in fact, really was. "Come child...I'll make you some tea and then you can talk to me." Todd nodded and continued to sniffle and cry as Storm guided him into the mansion's kitchen. The lights on the sides of the walls flickered back and forth, giving the entire scene a surreal look. The tall graceful African woman leading the small pale white child to tea.

*** 

A/N: Normally, I do not do updates or rewrites...but I found the awesome song "Comin' From Where I'm From" by Anthony Hamilton and I figured it fit the song better then "Somewhere I Belong" by Linkin Park. Plus, I wanted a title that spoke more about the future turns the story is going to take. So here it is.


	2. More Confessing, Less Stressing, Tea's A...

"Here you are, Todd," Storm said softly, less tense then before after seeing how much less intense Todd was when he wasn't trying to be a little thug. The teen took the teacup from the older African woman with a small smile but didn't speak out. Both were sitting in the bright and very open mansion kitchen, a cup of tea in front of each of their places. For a long moment neither of them spoke, the steam from their teacups wafting up into their faces.

"Well..." Todd said softly.

"Well what, Todd?" Storm asked lightly, taking a sip of her unsweetened tea.

"I'm just trying to figure out what words to say, yo. It ain't that easy talking to someone older then I am and not feel like I'm going to be slapped or insulted." Todd shook his head and sighed. "I mean, we've never really spoken, much."

"Well you have been on the other side of the line, Todd. Why don't you tell me why you joined the Brotherhood? I'd like to know why you'd join a place where you're not getting what you need."

"How the hell do you know what I need? Are you a mind-reader as well as being a weather witch, yo?" Todd asked his voice grave and scorning. He looked at Storm for a moment and smiled a little, though Storm felt no warmth in his visage.

"I'm not telepathic, Todd. I just look at people and observe them. And I can see you're hurting inside." Storm looked right back at Todd with eyes that seemed to overflow with concern for the boy. Despite all their fights against one another and the fact that Todd had been, and in fact was still, with Magneto's group, Storm felt herself wanting to help him in ways she knew the Brotherhood couldn't. She had maternal instincts that had only been awakened in her time with Evan and they were telling her that he wouldn't have come here unless he had something bigger in mind then what he currently had.

"...truth is, yo, I joined the Brotherhood because that was the only place that would take me in. I mean, we all know what happened when that asshole baldy decided to give me a tryout here." Todd snorted out the last few lines and looked over at Storm who was fighting to keep her face impassive. "Mystique gave me an offer I didn't want to refuse. She promised me a home. She promised me power. She promised me respect. She promised...she..." At the mention of Mystique's name he got slightly more choked up then he was and he looked away for a moment to compose himself.

"She promised..."

"She promised me that she'd find a mom for me, even if she had to be it herself." Todd looked down at his tea with a forlorn look in his eyes. "I miss my mom. I need a mom, yo."

"A mother?" Storm asked, genuinely confused at the turn of events in the conversation.

"Yeah. My mom died when I was really young and I took to the streets of New York City when I was 9. I've basically been homeless and without a family for years, yo. I...I miss my mom, yo. I miss how she used to touch me and make me feel like I was important. Mystique promised me I'd find someone like that. And...And I want Mystique to be my mom and she just uses me for her own benefit. Everyone uses me for what they want. No one wants me, yo. Not Wanda, not Magneto, not Pietro, not Lance, not Mystique, certainly not you guys..."

"That's not true, Todd," Storm blurted out, unable to hold herself back any longer. "We wanted you to join us when you first came. But it was Wolverine, not Professor Xavier who wanted you to be tested before you joined. This was before Logan had become less and less like a drill sergeant and more and more like a father here."

"Then why did Baldy...err...the Professor go along with that, yo? Why didn't he want to keep me regardless?" Todd asked, looking up his eyes full of tears. "You got no idea how much it's hurt to know that no one has wanted me just for me. That everyone has had to want to test me or mess with me or disrespect me...it hurts a lot, yo. Especially considering that the Professor didn't test anyone else before they came here. Only me. I'd like to know why he felt he had to test me."

"I do know what you're going through, Todd." Storm replied quietly, her own face beginning to flush a little as she spoke.

"You do? How?"

"I know how you feel because in my life before I came here, I was used by the village I was born in as nothing more then a magic charm." Storm stopped for a moment and sighed, her eyes beginning to cloud over with her own memories. "By the time I was 9, my powers were in full bloom and my tribe knew fell well that I could control the weather. They basically used me whenever we had a storm and whenever the crops failed. We never had to worry about food not being there when I was...but none of the children my age would play with me. They were all too busy being told to not hurt me because I was so 'valuable to the tribe'.

"Then, when I was 13, I ran away from my tribal village and lived on the streets of Kinshasa, Zaire as a beggar. It took a long time for my life to get better but eventually I came to America and the Professor took me in and wanted me to be here because he cared about me." For a long moment, neither person spoke. The steam wafted up into their eyes, lightly masking the contrasting emotions they both were feeling. Then Storm spoke again, her own voice tired but hopeful, "You have to believe that it can and will get better, Todd. We do care. I do care."

"Then why did he do this to me? Why did he feel like we're all just little soldiers for his to be played with? I mean, at least with Magneto you know you're nothing more then a pawn for his control...but I thought that the Professor had more humanity then that." Todd said softly as he rested his hands on the Formica tabletop. He looked off into space for a long time and then smiled slightly. "Wow, I didn't think that would ever happen again, yo."

"What?" asked Storm who was more then a little confused about this sudden turn of phrase.

"I just remembered that I had just said an entire string of words without using the word 'yo', yo. It's been so long since I've actually just spoken out without...without being stupid me." Todd shook his head ruefully and sighed some more. "I'm not as much of an idiot as people think I am, Miss Storm."

"I don't think you're an idiot Todd. And you can just call me Storm," she replied with a small smile.

"Maybe, but I'm not so sure everyone knows that. I mean, I know I'm smelly and a little bit odd, yo, but you would be too if you got picked on like I did." Todd sniffled a little then drank some more of his tea before continuing. "I mean, I used to be this nice, sweet smelling kid and then when I got tired of people picking on me I decided to just stop showering. Make 'em gag and they'll leave you alone, right? Well it works. But I'm tired of pushing everyone away, yo. I want Wanda to like me just as I am without the stink. I want Mystique to care about me when Magneto is kicking my ass for something I didn't do. I want people to see that Fred isn't the idiot people think he is, either."

"You mean Blob?"

"Yeah. Blob. Fred Dukes. The people here don't know that Fred has a learning disability. He's got dyslexia and he doesn't even know it, yo. I mean, I try to help him read but he's hurting so much like I am that most of the time we just talk about how much we hate the world and how much we hate women. He despises Jean so much for leading him on and shit that sometimes it's all I can do to talk him down from kicking her ass, yo." Todd's face darkened as he spoke the name of the youthful telepath. He could feel his blood boiling and his hands clench but he couldn't stop thinking about how much he didn't like Jean Grey. This was not lost on Storm who immediately sent up red mental flags before she spoke again.

"How do you mean she lead him on? From what I heard, he tried to rape her and kidnap her in the premise of a date," Storm said, her voice being held in a tone that would convey curiosity and questioning, not condemnation. The last thing she wanted now was to scare this frightened boy off.

"Well that might be what she said to save face but the reality is that Fred mistook what she meant to think that, for once, someone liked him for him and not because he was a big dumb ox. He's not, yo. He's smart and a romantic like me and he was lead around by Jean. I mean, it's not like girls are just queuing up to want to date either of us," Todd said with a sad smile, "And he ran away like me to Magneto because he got tired of being teased and humiliated. Yeah, he may have gone too far too soon, yo but she went out with him because of pity and when she found out he was serious she bolted. I have no respect for her, yo."

"Is that the only reason why you don't like her? Because she hurt your friend?"

"No, I don't like her because she's everything I hate about going to school. She's smart, popular, preppy and cliquish. She's a golden girl and I'm a brown boy, yo. Ho's like her are the reason why my life is a living hell. I mean, at least I know Wanda hates my guts but she also hates everyone else's. Including her own, yo." At the mention of Wanda, Todd grew silent. His hands shook a little as he realized how much he knew about things and about people. Todd could feel his heart melting at the thought of Wanda being Wanda and Wanda being hateful and mean because it was so easy to be so. He hated knowing that he couldn't make her see that he understood and wanted to love her for life. "I just hate knowing that she's got guys who want her and she's not worth shit and I'm worth so much more and have nothing. The very girl who should give a damn about me doesn't, the woman who recruited me to Magneto couldn't care less about me, and nearly everyone in the Brotherhood house only tolerates me. Throw in being bullied and hated at school and fighting with you X-Geeks, and you've got where I am now."

"You're bullied at school? Even with your powers?"

"More like, specifically because of my powers, yo. You have no idea what it's like to have the entire football team threaten to rape you and beat you up just because you smiled at a girl. I stole some wallets before and still do. I have no issue with that, especially with the jock assholes in that school, yo. But do I deserve to be gang beaten and nearly raped by the entire football team? Just cause I'm a small, tiny mutant?" Todd asked, bitter acid lacing his voice and tears shining in his eyes. He hung his head and sniffled-choked as Storm struggled to keep a passive face. At that moment she realized that this was what was going to be the future of the mutant race, unless Charles Xavier was right and that mutants and non-mutants could live together. She also realized that being a mutant didn't make your teenage life easier, just more complicated. She reached over and touched his arm with her hand, stroking up and down the soft downy hairs with her slender fingers.

For a long moment, neither of them did anything but sit with their own thoughts then Todd stood up and walked next to Storm and gave her a big hug. Todd gave Storm the kind of hug that only boys give to their mothers when they get their eyes dried and their emotions comforted. And she hugged him back, without fear or shame or worry about betrayal. She hugged him like she would have hugged Evan, or Scott or Kitty or anyone of the X-Men. Even his smell, light though it actually was, didn't bother her as she held on to the shudder boy as he broke down crying into her shoulder. He cried so intently and shuddered so much that he missed Professor Xavier wheel into the kitchen with a somber look on his face. He nodded to Storm who nodded back and squeezed closer to Todd, giving him a motherly pat on the head. The Professor wheeled silently out of the kitchen and proceeded to go back to his study to continue recording the two of them as they spoke and to listen to the recordings he had picked up earlier. Living with a security maniac like Wolverine had it's advantages and being able to know the entire conversation between Todd and Storm whilst they were in the kitchen was definitely one of them.

He sat behind his desk and slipped on a pair of headphones. It was going to be a long night.


	3. The Beginning Of The End

Storm walked from the den into the hallway, her face blurred and frowned. She didn't like to be sad like she was at that moment but her recent encounters with the young Mr. Tolensky had unnerved her to the core. She had seen the future of the mutant race and she didn't like it. She had to talk to the Professor. He knew now, the telepath had a very good idea of what had happened. With that, it meant that the Professor might know better what to do. In any case, she needed to speak to him. She knocked on the door of the Professor's study and walked in after he beckoned verbally.

Professor Xavier sat behind his desk and stroked his chin, a pair of headphones on his head and a frown on his face. He saw Storm come in and slipped the headphones off, rubbing his face for a moment. "Is Todd asleep, Storm?"

"Yes he is, Professor. He fell asleep on my lap as we finished talking and I put him in the anteroom by the side playroom. He should be asleep for a long time. He's so exhausted emotionally that I didn't think sending him home was the best idea," Storm said, her own voice low and tired. "Did you hear everything, Charles?"

"Yes I did, Storm and I must say I'm not surprised this happened. But I'm glad it happened here instead of on some battlefield somewhere. The real question is now, what do I do about this? What do we do about this?" Charles asked rhetorically as he softly wheeled to the side of the couch. "Sit down, Storm. We need to talk." Storm did so and for a moment, neither spoke as both tried to get their thoughts together.

"Storm, what do you think of this situation?" Xavier asked.

"How do you mean, Professor?"

"What do you think about Todd coming here? What do you make of all this?"

"Well...for starters, I think we really need to work with Logan's personal skills," Storm said with a small sad smile, "And I also think we need to think about letting Todd join us if he so chooses. He's only a child, Charles but he's already seen so much pain. Holding him in my arms...I couldn't help but feel like he wanted me to mother him and be there for him. It feels like he's never had anyone there who cares. Mystique might try to care but I don't think she really cares."

"Not the way Todd needs, you mean?" Charles asked, his mind now working in its trademark probing mode.

"No. He needs a family. He needs parents who can be more then just order givers. He...he felt right in my arms, Charles." With that Storm's face flushed a little and she looked down at her hands for a moment to steady her. "I guess that's just my motherly instincts talking, isn't it?"

"No, Storm, it's not. It's your human side talking. My question is how much of this is Todd speaking from the heart?"

"You mean you don't believe what he is saying to be true?"

"I believe every word of it. His mind is too clear and focused for it not to be. My question is whether or not Magneto is using him for something more. We've not seen him for a while...but it begs to question. We cannot be too cautious." Charles sighed and tapped the side of his wheelchair lightly with his fingertips. "I so wish things were not like this, Storm. I wish our home could be a way station for all mutants, regardless of point of view. I...I regret what we did to Todd Tolensky."

"Just why did you put Todd through what you put him through, Charles? None of the other students had to go through what he had to just for admission here. Why Todd?" Storm asked her curiosity and concern getting the best of her.

"Can you believe that it was actually a mistake, Storm, an honest mistake?" Charles stopped for a moment and looked off into the distance. His eyes seemed sadder then normal, almost as if the mistakes of the past were finally coming back to kick him squarely in the ass. "Todd was the first person we had actively recruited for this school in the context of making the new generation of defenders of the mutant race and ideals. I let Logan convince me that we had to create the new generation of mutants able to fight from the outset and I was foolish enough to give his opinions more credence then necessary. He's right...but he was also wrong. And I was wrong to listen to him that far.

"In being here with the others now, I've come to learn that these are still children we deal with. These are children who are scared and angry, confused and frustrated and we cannot treat them as little toy soldiers before they are ready to accept the responsibility of who they are as mutants." A pause. "We can never treat them as if they are nothing but soldiers. There are still dreams to be realized in these walls. There are still hopes to not be dashed in these walls. I'm still optimistic that one day Jamie will be able to be free to go as he pleases and not be confined to these walls." 

"It's big of you to face your mistakes, Charles, but what about Todd's situation now?" Storm asked, her voice beginning to show a little bit of strain. She didn't like how she didn't know what would happen with Todd, as the little guy had begun to worm his way into her heart. "What are you going to do for him now?"

"I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago when we first saw his talent. I'm going to offer him a position here and a place to stay. But I'm also going to tell him what I have told you. He does deserve it. I see that now." Charles cracked a small smile and shook his head. "I know I run the risk of having Logan rip his head off...but it's time I rectified a mistake that has haunted me for a long time now."

"This has bothered you for longer then you've let on? Why have you not said anything about it?"

"It has, but it wasn't anything I felt I could talk about. Until now, that is. I didn't feel ready to admit that I had made a mistake like this to someone like Todd because I didn't realize that some of our students here are going to come here rough and raw. Todd was the first person here who made me nervous; in touching his mind I felt pain like I had not felt pain in a long time. It scared me a little to know that that much sorrow could be in that little of a person." Another pause, this one longer and more pregnant. "I forgot how hard it can be to be a child, even if you have the best of situations. And Todd, like so many others, comes from the worse side of situations. I could hear that from your conversation in the kitchen, let alone from the stuff I've pulled from the flotsam and jetsam of his mind. I forgot what it's like to be a child and I don't want to deprive Todd of a second chance at a childhood, even if it's here as a fighter."

"Do you think he will fit in here?"

"I do. Even with Kurt, whom I suspect likes Todd a lot more then he lets on. They are rivals...but not rivals in the same way that Pietro and Evan are. You know, one day, Evan and Pietro are going to have to work their issues out...regardless of what side they are on," Charles said, looking pointedly at Storm.

"I agree completely, Charles, but talking to Evan now is getting more and more difficult. He's beginning to come apart as a part of his mutation and I'm not sure he's ready emotionally to take the next step in his mutation, whatever that might be," Storm replied, her voice still thin but growing less strained as she realized that things were going to happen between Todd and Charles.

"Well, see if you can have him speak to me. I might be able to draw some more out of him." At that, Professor Charles Xavier rolled back to behind his desk and began to tidy things up. "I'm going to go to bed, Storm. Please have Todd stay the night and then have him come talk to me in the morning."

"All right, Charles. Good night." Storm left the room and walked back to the anteroom, noticing that Todd was still sleeping on the spare couch. She pulled up a chair next to him and began to look at him closer. She saw that despite all his toughness outside, when he slept he was an attractive child. Not beautiful like Bobby Drake, she mused, but still far less ugly then he assumed was so. His skin was smooth and soft, pale but flecked with little spots of color. His breathing was light and gentle, calm and untroubled. She knew he was resting comfortably and a smile slid over her lips when she realized that she had made this possible. She felt him growing on her. She liked the feeling of being needed as more then just a 'big sister' to the rest of the house. She liked feeling like a mother.

A few moments later, the others in the house re-emerged from their night out and most went straight to bed. Kitty Pryde, however, phased through the wall into the anteroom from the playroom searching for a paper she had left previously. She didn't expect to find Storm sitting on a chair, watching over what appeared to be a sleeping Todd Tolensky. The Toad? Why would the Toad be here?

"Storm, what's going on?" Kitty asked in a low voice, her feet taking her to Storm's side.

"Todd's staying the night with us, child," Storm replied, her voice soft and motherly, a smile still on her face. "We talked. He had things to say. He was tired...so I gave him a quiet place to sleep."

"Oh."

"...Kitty, what would you say to Todd coming and being a part of us again?" Storm looked in Kitty's direction as she asked the question. "Do you think the others here would accept him?"

"I'm not sure, Storm. I mean, it's not like he's the most popular kid in the school. Like, he's creepy and slimy and all that. But I don't think he'd be hated here. He might be accepted more by the New Mutants then the rest of the crew at first. Like him and Kurt are still kind of raw in how they relate..." Kitty said, her voice trailing off as she looked at Todd's legs and saw for the first time what Storm was seeing. For a moment, she felt lost as she watched Todd on the couch sleep and breathe. She saw the pale, buttery skin, the smooth silky arms and forehead, she bones in his cheeks that made for definition. She saw his ass, defined in spectacular fashion by his position on the couch. Her eyes stayed there much longer then she intended and she didn't notice Storm staring at her until a moment after she realized how cute he might be if he wasn't so creepy.

"See anything you like, child?" Storm said with more then a bit of playfulness in her voice. Kitty blushed and shook her head in the negative.

"Like, I was just looking at how quiet Toad...er, Todd is when he sleeps. Yeah!" At that, Kitty waved goodbye and phased out of the room through a convenient and nearby wall. Storm shook her head for a moment and smiled. This was certainly a new turn of events. The room was warm and cozy as Storm brought over a blanket and tucked Todd in. She put the chair back in its place and walked out. Things would be much different tomorrow. She could feel it.


	4. Kittens Like To Play With Frogs, Right?

_I'm leavin out a lotta shit, nigga it's too real,  
My alcoholic backround, the welfare motels,  
Abuse that I had to take, struggle that my moms went through,  
How the fuck I'm gon bond wit you?  
  
-- from "Styles - A Gangster And A Gentleman"_

--- 

A ray of sunlight filtered into the anteroom as the new day began. Warmth from the sun began to heat the room and soon, things that would normally have awoken did. Todd Tolensky was no different as he opened his eyes with a tired motion. Light blasted into his sensitive eyes and for a moment he didn't know where he was. Then he remembered: he had spent the night at the mansion. He had spent the night talking to Storm. He remembered her smiling as he called her mom and tucking him into the couch he found himself laying on. He remembered her face when he spoke to her. Todd felt, for the first time in a long time, the happiness of waking up in a place that was completely safe. He liked feeling safe.

Todd slid off the couch and neatly folded the blanket up, putting it at the corner of the couch. He smelled food and hopped towards the source of said smell. His nose led his feet and body towards the kitchen in the mansion where Storm was finishing up the preperations for breakfast. She smiled softly as she saw him hop in. He liked looking at her smile.

"Good morning, Todd. I hope you slept well," Storm said as she gave Todd a glass of orange juice. He smiled and took the glass, his face surprisingly light and cheery looking. Storm noticed this and smiled inwardly. She hoped he had, infact, slept well.

"Umm, Hi, ummm...thanks, yo. Umm...yeah," Todd stammered as he took the glass and sat down, shocked as all hell. No one ever gave him anything in the Brotherhood house except grief and here was Storm giving him a glass of juice and asking how he had slept. Life was too fucking weird. "I didn't have any nightmares, if that's what you mean, yo."

"Well that's good, but what I meant is were you warm enough and comfortable?" Storm asked as she pulled plates and silverware from various places in the cabinets and drawers.

"Yeah, I slept well, yo. Why'd you put me up for the night?" Todd asked as he sipped at his juice.

"You were in no condition to hope home after we talked. And anyways, I wouldn't have let you." At that, Storm looked at Todd with a smile but her face was set in an expression that said that she well would have demanded that he had stayed the night. Todd saw this and for the briefest of moments wished he was Evan and had Storm as HIS aunt. 

"Oh."

"Professor Xavier wants to talk to you as soon as you eat, Todd. Come. I won't serve you when you're big enough to get your own meal," Storm said with a wry smile. Todd nodded and submitted without putting up a fight. He hopped over and began to fill a plate with food. Storm sat down and watched him as he began to eat. Rather, Storm watched as Todd devoured the entire plate of food he was eating in close to 5 minutes. She knew the boy had been underfed and such...but she had not seen the amount of malnourishment that Todd exhibited. But as she realized just how hungry he was she smiled. Another need had been met and hopefully another wall had been broken down.

"Why does Baldy...er, the Professor want to talk to me?" Todd asked as he politely wiped his mouth and put down his napkin in the middle of the plate. The sheer neatness the normally sloppy and generally uncouth boy showed made Storm lose herself for a moment and continue smiling, her head not believing that a little kindness and care could turn a ruffian into a potential gentleman."Well, I think that is for you to find out. I'd rather the Professor talk to you before I talk to you again." Storm looked at Todd for a moment and rubbed her hands slowly. She wanted him to stay. Try as she might to think about the fact that she didn't know enough about him or if he was for real, she, in the end, wanted Todd Tolensky to stay.

"Ok, yo. Um...you mind if I see him now before I go?" Todd asked. Storm nodded and motioned for Todd to follow her as she rose from the table. Storm walked ahead and led Todd to the Professor's study. She knocked on the door and opened it, showing Todd in with a wave of her lithe hand. Todd walked in and stood before the Professor's desk as he sat behind it, his head down and his eyes focused on some papers. Todd waited a moment and looked around the room. The entire back wall of the study was a bookshelf with massive amounts of books. Todd wondered what was in all those books and wondered if he'd ever get to read one of them.

"Todd, it's good of you to come and see me," Charles said, his head lifting up to greet the young teen. He wheeled out from behind the desk and stuck out his hand to Todd. For a moment, Todd didn't respond. He didn't know how. He didn't have any idea as to how to greet the man who had shunned him as so many others had. But his hidden politeness resurfaced and he took the hand, shaking it firmly. "Please, sit down. We need to talk."

"Ok, yo," Todd said as he hopped to the small couch. Charles wheeled next to him and for a long moment, neither spoke.

"Todd," Charles finally said, "I guess I should get to the point as to why I asked you to come and speak to me. I want to extend an invitation to join the X-Men. No strings, no tests, no nothing. Just an offer to come into our school is what I offer."

"Wha...what? Why, yo? Why me?" Todd asked, barely believing his ears.

"I did you wrong when we first asked you to join us, Todd. Part of my error was because I had no idea if the mutant information on you was correct. Another part was because I was wrongly convinced that we needed someone who could fight. I was wrong; we needed someone with the courage not to fight. But mostly, I was wrong because I didn't test anyone else here and I tested you. I should have given you a fair chance to see if you fit in here and I didn't. I'd like to rectify that mistake." Seconds passed and Todd looked down at his webbed hands in shock. He knew what Xavier was telling him was truth. He knew that the Professor was giving him another chance at a life on the straight side. But...

"But why did you stop me the first time, yo? Why did you sic people on me in the first place?" Todd asked, his voice low but full of emotion despite his best efforts to hold back his rage and anger.

"...if you want the honest truth, I was convinced that we needed soldiers here. We don't; we need mutants here who will live what it means to be a human with more then the norm. We're not freaks, we mutants, and I listened to the wrong information in trying to have you come here." Charles paused, seeming to get his thoughts in order. "Todd, I feel I can say this to you because being with Magneto and Mystique has made you see things I wished none of my students ever have to see, at least till they're older."

"How do you know what the hell I'm about, anyway?" Todd asked, his voice picking up just a little. "Why are you picking through my brain, yo?"

"For the record, I'm not 'picking through your brain'. Your thoughts are screaming out to me from inside your head. It's hard to ingore someone when they're screaming curse words at the top of their lungs at you inside their mind. Being a telepath does have it's penalties, you know," Charles replied softly, causing Todd to look up at Charles for a moment. His face softened. He realized that he had in fact been screaming out his anger at the Professor as loud as he could. For a long moment, he couldn't speak. So Charles picked up the mantle and spoke again. "Todd, I made a mistake with you because I'm still human inside and I'm still trying to fathom the idea that part of the mutant fight is not going to be pretty. But I listened to the wrong people who wanted me to train soldiers here. We cannot defend ourselves against those who would harm us if we are not human first. I made a mistake with you, Todd, and for that I'm truly sorry."

"So Magneto's right. We are going to have to fight for our freedom," Todd said bitterly as things he had gone through and words he had heard Magneto growl and pander became crystal clear in his mind. "We're nothing more then soldiers in a war..."

"No, Todd. You children are not soldiers in a war. You're kids with the right to be kids as long as you can in a world where kids are being forced to grow up far too soon." A pause as Charles sighed softly. "I wish we didn't have to train the students here. The fact remains, however, that as long as there are people who wish to harm us, we must be ready to defend ourselves. But I and the others here are still comitted to finding peaceful ways to have humans and mutants co-exist. Part of this is bringing our own family together. The mutant family."

"So this is just your little part in trying to make things better?" Todd asked, his voice much tighter then he wished it to be. He didn't still want to feel angry at the Professor but he just couldn't help it. He looked into the Professor's eyes and screamed out that he was angry that he didn't get chosen when he was young, when he still had hope of better days. The Professor didn't flinch but he did roll forward and touch Todd's hand with his own.

"This is my part of trying to give you another shot at life without having to be afraid. I want to help you Todd. I want to show you that you can have people who care about you. We will care about you because we know that you're a decent person inside." A clock ticked on a far wall and sunlight filtered into the study through the far windows. Todd finally gave up trying to be angry and just hung his head. He knew he wanted to leave the Brotherhood behind and start over. But some little issues remained. He knew he just couldn't run away.

"...What about Fred, yo? What about Lance? I mean, I just can't up and leave now. I may not be loved there...but Fred's the closest thing I've got to a best friend there. Hell, he's the closest thing I've got to a friend period. And Lance might not like me messing up but he keeps Mystique from ripping me apart from time to time," Todd said quietly. "I don't wanna stay...but I don't wanna leave either, yo. Like it or not, that's my home."

"I know this is difficult for you Todd. I'm willing to wait until you've made a decision either way. Regardless, you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to before you go back to the Brotherhood house," Charles reassured him. Todd let out a sigh and nodded slowly as he stood to his feet. "Shall I have Storm come back or are you leaving the mansion now?"

"Um...no, yo. I wanna kind of look around. You know, make sure things are ok. I mean, you never really did give me the dime tour, yo," Todd said with a tight smile. Charles responded with a broad one of his own and mentally called out to Storm. Storm came into the room after a moment and nodded to the Professor.

"Storm, would you show Todd the mansion?" Charles asked as he wheeled behind the desk again.

"Yes, Professor. Come, Todd," Storm replied as she walked out of the study. Todd followed and the door closed behind him, pulled shut by Charles's latent mutant power. Things were beeping and calling on Charles's desk but he ignored them as he went into a short but powerful thinking mode. He wanted Todd to join the X-Men. He was assured of it now.

*** 

Kitty emerged from the upstairs bathroom that she and Rouge shared and made her way downstairs, her face bright and shining. She had just washed her face and despite being only clad in a nightshirt and a pair of night pants, she looked like she could have graced the cover of any teen magazine. She knew she was cute...but she still knew others were more attractive. she may have seemed bright and shining on the outside but recent events with Lance had made her less then sure of herself on the inside. Those events made her think of others as she walked down the stairs to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Others like Todd Tolensky.

Kitty didn't know why she had spent so much time looking at Todd as he slept that evening previous. She didn't know why the smaller boy looking so sweet and silent made her feel as she did but she knew she liked it. Deep down in a place she wasn't really sure she wanted to admit existed, she liked having a crush on someone other then the usual jock assholes. She thought that Todd was cute in a little brother sort of way but she didn't like his attitude. Or his smell, which was oddly gone when she saw him last. And those legs!...Kitty felt herself shudder to the point where she had to stop and collect herself for a moment. She knew as she walked that she felt something for Todd...she just didn't know what. Or why.

As Kitty turned the corner into the hallway, she saw Storm and Todd walking towards the main room of the mansion. She waved to them both and yawned cutely. "Good morning, Storm! Where are you taking Todd?"

"I was going to show Todd around the mansion grounds...but I just remembered that I need to water my plants. Would you show him the outside grounds, Kitty?" Storm asked with a sudden gleam in her normally reserved eyes. Todd merely looked off into the distance, too caught in his own thoughts to really hear or see Storm but Kitty caught the look and hesitated for just a moment. She cocked her head a little but couldn't get even the smallest sign of what Storm was up to. She sighed and nodded.

"Sure, Storm. I'll show him around. I've got time before we go to the mall this morning," Kitty replied. Storm nodded and looked down to Todd.

"Todd, I'll talk to you soon. Kitty's going to show you around and you can leave at any time. Be sure to come back if there is any change in your situation." At that Storm left but not without giving Kitty another sage look and a saucy smile. Kitty blushed a little and fidgeted a little more with her hands. This Todd caught and he looked at Kitty with an odd look in his eyes.

"What's up with you, yo?" Todd asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing!" Kitty exclaimed.

"...right."

"It's true! I just...um...didn't expect to be seeing you so soon. Storm said you might be joining us," Kitty said as she turned and began to walk towards the main doors of the Mansion. Todd followed and smirked a little at Kitty's words. He knew something was up.

"Well yeah, yo. I might be joining up because life sucks at the Brotherhood house and I want out. Me and Baldy were talking about it," Todd replied, his usual bravado trying to make a comeback but failing as he got his first real look at Kitty under much less tense situations. They had stepped out onto the front lawn and under the warm morning sun, Kitty seemed to be framed by a sheen of light, like she was even softer and sexier then she normally way. Todd looked at her as they both walked aimlessly around and couldn't help but notice that she was, in fact, really damned cute.

"You mean you and the Professor," Kitty volleyed back lightly with a smile on her backwards glance. The subtle move made Todd smile back at her and nervously play with his hair.

"Yeah, yo. Me and the Professor talked a while this morning. He apologized for not giving me a fair chance when I first came here."

"...indeed." For a moment, both of them fell silent as they walked on the unusually silent mansion grounds. The birds sang and the wind lightly blew against them, warming them to the springlike weather that had come down from the north. Kitty knew that this moment of peace was going to be shattered at any minute by someone doing something insane in the crazy place that was the mansion so she decided to ask some questions she had always wanted to know about. "Todd, can I ask you some things?"

"What about, yo?"

"Well...things. Stuff I've wanted to know about for a while. Like, you're Lance's friend and he has talked to me about you from time to time and there are just things I've been wondering about." Kitty took a breath and went on. "Why do you act like such a show off in class? I mean, we have a couple of classes together and you seem like you know the material, but like, you always seem to just want to goof off. Why do you have to be so creepish?"

"Them's fightin' words, yo," Todd replied with a mock country drawl and a sloppy smile that made both of them laugh once they looked at each other. They laughed till their sides ached and their eyes watered, the tension dissipated. "Seriously, yo," Todd said after they both had stopped laughing enough to catch a big breath, "I guess I just hate Bayville High School, yo. I mean, most of the teachers there take one look at me and immediately think I'm a doof, yo. 'Bout the only class I get any respect in is Art and that's because the teacher tends to think I have talent. Whether I do or not is up to her to decide, yo."

"You like to draw?" Kitty asked, more then a little surprised at his admission.

"Yeah. I know it sounds weird, a villain like me having a sense of culture and class, yo. But I like to draw and paint and write, yo." Todd took a breath and continued. "Plus, add in the fact that Duncan and his goons like to make my life a living hell as much as possible, and you might see why I hate going to school, yo."

"Duncan Matthews does tend to make life around here, like more tense then usual," Kitty observed with a slight frown. "Jean's in love with him but can't see that he's got the IQ of a peanut and the sex drive of a bull in heat. He's just after her because she's pretty and popular."

"Is that a bit of jealously I hear, yo?" Todd asked saucily. Kitty looked at him and saw the smile that he was fast becoming famous for. She briefly thought about smacking him but decided against it.

"No, just wondering if being a mind-reader is making Jean a little less able to gauge character then she should."

"If you say so." Another smirk, but once again Kitty let it pass. Their walking brought them to the far side of the mansion's outside ground towards a large ring of trees and shrubbery. "I just think he needs to be arrested and locked up."

"Why?"

"...Cause he and his goons tried to rape me in the shower after gym class a couple of times." Todd said this so matter-of-factly that it caught Kitty completely off guard. She stopped in her tracks and made her step in front of Todd to get a look at his eyes better.

"Please tell me you're joking, Todd."

"I wish I was," Todd replied softly.

"Duncan tried to rape you?"

"...twice. He and his crew cornered me on one of the few times I wanted to take a shower at school. They tried to gangbang me but thankfully both times teachers came in and broke them up from trying anything really hard. All they did was hang me from the ceiling and give me a 40 minute swirly in the nasty toilets after beating the shit out of me." Todd looked off into the distance and sighed. "You'd be surprised how much shit the teachers here ignore if you're not on their good list. You tend to not want to have people even come near you when you get that all the time, yo. Hence the whole not showering thing."

"God, Todd. Like, I had no idea he was doing this."

"Few people do. Hell, I didn't tell anyone, not even the rest of my team. They would just tell me to kick their asses or fight my battles for me and yell at me while doing it. I'm not a little kid...but it's hard to fight a whole lot of people when all they want to do is bully you." A long silence passed and neither spoke. "I guess it's just God's little retribution for all those times I've been stealing money and food to live on, yo."

"...Why did you tell me all this, Todd? I mean, I believe you a lot more then you might think. But why now?" Kitty asked, still not entirely able to believe her ears.

"Because one day, I'm going to get revenge on Duncan for good and he won't survive what I have in store for him," Todd said darkly, his bravado and bravura evaporating like the morning dew in the desert. "I'm going to kick his ass and own him and then he's going to feel what's it like to be hurt and dominated. I told you all this because if Jean's smart, she'll hook up with Scott and stop putting herself at risk. I mean, I don't like her for what she did to Fred...but no one deserves what Duncan offers."

"Like, damn."

"Yeah, yo."

"...Well, like that might explain why you're the way you are but you're not like that now. Why?"

"Do I have to be an ass all the time, Kitty? Can't I just sort of exist without having to play a role as comic relief? I mean, it's tough being the joke all the time, yo. Hell it's tough being the joke for you guys, the scapegoat for my crew, the punching bag for Duncan and his crew, the punching bag for Wanda when she's pissed at Lance..." Todd said before he realized what he was talking about. Kitty looked at him for a moment.

"Wanda gets pissed at Lance? Why?" Kitty asked, her suspicion about her part time boyfriend becoming more and more inflamed. Todd picked up on this and made a deft move away from the subject.

"Oh just cause Wanda gets pissed at everybody, yo. Especially when I try to hit on her. She seems to not like anyone liking her, yo. Especially me. She doesn't like when I try to speak to her, even if I'm not trying to hit on her." Todd looked down and felt lots of real shame in telling this, a strange situation considering just previous he felt no shame in admitting that Duncan was an attempted rapist. "It's tough getting told by someone you love that you mean nothing to them and that they repulse you." 

"I wish I could tell you it's going to be ok with her, Todd," Kitty said softly. "I know how much you like her. But she doesn't seem like the type who's ever going to be happy with anything. Like, she doesn't seem to be able to see the special gifts you have to offer someone."

"And I suppose you do, Kitty?" Todd asked lightly but with a small amount of extra snap in his voice. He was surprised when she lifted up his chin and looked into his eyes.

"Yeah, Todd. I do. You're not the cleanest boy around but you're not a monster either. I...I don't know what's going on but I feel like inside of me I want to get to know you more. I might be totally crazy but I want to know you. You're not so bad," Kitty said softly, blushing immediately after she said everything. Todd made her blush even harder by then leaning kissing her cheek softly. She replied almost immediately by kissing his back and clinging to his arm a moment.

Both Kitty and Todd looked at one another for a moment and then smiled sheepishly at one another. Kitty blushed a little and Todd nervously hopped from foot to foot. "Um...thanks, yo," Todd finally said.

"Like, you're welcome. But what for?"

"'Cause you're not the airhead I thought. Thank you for proving me wrong." Todd said with a smile. He turned to hop away and Kitty fought an overwhelming urge to drag him back for good. "I'll talk to you soon, Kitty. I gotta go home. Got some things to take care of, yo."

"Alright. Bye, Todd!" Kitty watched as Todd hopped off, looking at his retreating form in the sunlight. She felt a strange lump in her throat grow and tighten. She hoped he came back. He made her feel different then all the other guys who hit on her. He made her feel important.

--- 

**A/N:** More authors notes. Before all you reviewers hate on me for making Kitty so OOC, she's not. Trust me. In here, I wanted to make her less of a ditz and more of a sweet girl who is more apt to listen then the others. All will be revealed in later chappies. But, and think about this before you send that review, wouldn't Todd be mad cute if he did shower? Wouldn't he?

Also, I know a lot of people have been asking for an X23/Todd pairing. I'm sorry guys and gals, but unless people can give me evidence that it should and convince me that X23 is not a glorified Mary-Sue, it's not gonna happen. Trust me, the angle I have for Todd is so much better then just giving him a descendent of WWolverine's DNA. I mean, think about it: it's not like Todd and Logan's first meeting is going to any sort of pleasant...what makes you think Logan's going to want Todd as a son in law?

All that said, you guys know what to do. Review. Give me ideas. Make me watch my mailbox. I made this chapter extra long just for you...reward me! :D


	5. Leaving Can Be So Much Easier On A Sour ...

__

Not two days ago  
I was having a look  
In a book and I saw a picture of a guy fried up above his knees  
I said, "I can relate,"  
Cause' lately I've been thinking of combustication as a welcomed vacation from  
The burdens of the planet earth  
Like gravity, hypocrisy, and the perils of being in 3-D  
And thinking so much differently...

So pardon me while I burst into flames  
I've had enough of the world  
And it's people's mindless games  
So pardon me while I burn  
And rise above the flame  
Pardon me, pardon me  
I'll never be the same...

-- from 'Incubus - Pardon Me'

---

Kurt Wagner often took morning walks in the pale sunshine around the grounds of the mansion. It was one of his little things. He liked walking out in the sunshine before everyone bitched at him to put his image inducer on. Logan knew about his little excursions but didn't mind knowing that everyone has their moments before they flip out. So it was little surprise that Kurt was roaming the grounds just killing time before morning workouts. He found one of his favorite things to do was to sit in a tree and just listen to things.

So it was more of a surprise then normal to actually hear something. Kurt sat in a hemlock beside the main field/clearing and listened as voices began to come closer. His eyes quickly opened from their not quite sleeping state and he looked over his shoulder to see what the sound was. Using his tail as a balance, he was able to slide around enough to see Kitty walking with someone along the side of the clearing closest to him. He looked closer and noticed that it was Todd. 'Toad? What's Kitty doing with that creep?' he pondered as he peered closer and closer. They were out of his range of hearing but he noticed that she was standing in front of him and seemed to be tipping his chin up. And then, he saw them kissing! His heart nearly fell down into the bottom of his stomach as he saw them blush shyly at one another. Considering he was already happily dating Amanda, he didn't wonder so much about Kitty as a love partner, but she was still her friend...and old crushes die oh, so hard...

Just as soon as he decided to drop in on them and crash their little party, Todd hopped away and Kurt saw Kitty smiling and waving at him. He saw the blush on her face and frowned. Didn't she know how much of an ass that Todd was? He remembered back when they worked together to free Wanda and remembered how much of a dick he could be when he needed something...but then he also remembered the time he kissed Wanda afterwards. He remembered the tenderness on his face and wondered if something similar was happening now. For it was truly only Kurt, himself a misunderstood mutant, who knew that if Todd washed up and became less creepy, he'd be a heartthrob the likes of which Bayville had never seen. He knew it and it made him nervous. Kurt considered himself to always be in competition with Todd and now this just seemed to come up.

"Kitty!" Kurt called out in a loud voice as he teleported from the tree to Kitty's side. She gasped as he popped up next to her.

"Kurt! Like, warn me before you decide to scare me," Kitty replied, playfully punching his arm.

"What were you doing with Todd just now?" Kurt asked, getting right to the heart of the matter.

"What do you mean, Kurt?"

"I saw you two kissing! And with him! What's going on, Fraulein?" Kurt could feel his deep German accent get thicker and thicker as he spoke but he couldn't help it. He had to know.

"Kurt! You were spying on us?!" Kitty asked incredulously, her face beginning to Blanche over.

"Nein. I just happened to hear you as you two walked by my tree. I was out for my morning run..." Kurt began but was stopped as Kitty put her hand in front of his mouth to silence him.

"We were just talking, Kurt. Nothing happened that I didn't want to happen..." Kitty said slowly, "And besides, it was just a kiss on the cheek. Like, it wasn't like he French kissed me or anything like this. It was just a spur of the moment thing."

"Oh really?" Kurt raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You seemed to really like having him kiss you, Kitty."

"...Yeah Kurt, I did. If you're so nosy, like, you should know the truth. I did like it when he kissed me," Kitty replied, her eyes dropping down to the ground and a smile rising up on her face. Kurt couldn't believe his ears but decided to take a different route with his questioning.

"Well what did you two talk about, Kitty? You must have been talking some serious stuff to have him kiss you," Kurt said with a relaxed look and a tiny smile. Kitty totally took the bait and broke into a huge smile.

"We were talking about how he might join the X-Men. He's kind of looking for a new place to stay and I wanted to know some stuff about him before he made a decision, so..." Kitty began but was cut off by Kurt dashing off at high speed, his face contorted into a huge grin and his tail swishing from side to side. Kitty wasn't sure but she thought she could hear him screaming at the top of his lungs, "Toad's joining the X-Men! Toad's joining the X-Men! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" She sighed. 'For being a boy, Kurt could be such a gossip', Kitty thought. She walked back to the mansion, feeling a strange sense of bewilderment wash over her.

*** 

Todd, for his part, hopped back home silently ruminating over the events of the past few hours. He had gone from being unwanted and unappreciated by people to being cared for. It was a lot to deal with. He remembered Storm's sweet smile at him as he was eating and he wondered if he had found someone who cared about him or could care about him. He liked Storm. She seemed like she wasn't as uptight as the rest of the house. She seemed like she had actually been in the real world and dealt with the loneliness he dealt with. He liked her eggs as well. She cooked good and his stomach quietly let him know that it agreed with him.

Todd saw the Brotherhood house in the distance and wondered if he'd get time to speak to Kitty again. He smiled as he remembered kissing her cheek though he wondered what made him do that. He didn't think of Kitty as much more then Lance's ex-girlfriend...but he now wondered what she'd be like if they hugged and kissed and dated. He saw pictures of her dancing in front of him and smiled even more. She was very pretty and unlike Wanda, she actually smiled at him. Just as he realized how much he didn't want to scare Kitty off no matter what he decided, he reached the house.

Todd opened the door and walked in. The lights were off but considering it was late afternoon he didn't consider that to be very odd at all. What he saw next, however, wasn't what he expected. There, in the TV room sat Lance and Wanda, kissing as if they had been separated for ten thousand years. Lance sat back and it seemed that Wanda was between 12 to 18 inches from being fully in his lap. They sucked face and caressed one another furiously, not noticing the small pale green boy that stood in front of them, watching them with a slightly hurt look in his eyes. Todd watched them and fought back the urge to cry. After a long moment, Lance finally saw Todd looking at them and pushed Wanda back to speak.

"So you're home," Lance said flatly. "I guess this is a shock..."

"Duh, yo," Todd replied, finally finding his voice to speak. "But please, don't let me stop you guys from what you were doing. I was just going up to my room."

"Good! Go on and sulk you big baby!" Wanda shouted, showing off a surprisingly bitter tone with Todd that she rarely used. She didn't even know why she was yelling at him just that it felt good to let off some steam at him. She was tired of having to explain herself to everyone, especially someone who just didn't get it that she didn't like him. "I hope you cry and cry and cry!"

"...I hope I do. But not because you want me to, Wanda, but because I hope I can still cry for someone like you, yo." With that Todd hopped to the stairs and made his way to his room. Wanda tried to slide back into Lance's embrace but was pushed away by the rock tumbler.

"I should go see how he is," Lance murmured softly. Wanda frowned and scowled at the direction of the stairs.

"Lance, we talked about this. We like each other. Why do we have to explain ourselves to anyone else but each other? As far as I'm concerned, Todd is a little creep and he doesn't have the right to feel bad about me," Wanda said, her voice abnormally acidic and mean and short. Lance just looked at her for a long moment and sighed.

"You're going to say that, even as Todd sits up there and cries about you? He loves you, Wanda! I mean, I know I like you but damn...he saved your life and you don't even give him the common courtesy of letting him down a little easier." Lance stood up and walked to the stairs. "I'll be right back."

"Lance, if you go up those stairs, you can consider you and I to be over. I'm not hand holding that little wart while I'm here," Wanda said softly, her voice even colder then normal. Lance just looked at her and shrugged.

"He's my friend, Wanda. I need to talk to him."

*** 

For a long moment, Todd just stood in the center of his room and let the images wash in front of his eyes. He felt his irises change and swirl and the blood rushed to the tips of his face. But as soon as his face burned and fired up...it all stopped. All the feelings he had stopped being as sharp. He looked up and saw the small room he lived in just as it was: a small dark room in a not nearly as large as it could have been house in a shitty neighborhood. He saw everything so clear: He could stay in the Brotherhood house and be cold and miserable and only have Fred as a friend and watch Lance and Wanda make out and be bullied by Pietro and be intimidated by Mystique and shamed by Magneto...or he could try his luck with the X-Men. He could work as hard as he humanly could for once instead of just slacking off and he could prove everyone wrong.

As blind as he was to the truth, there was simply no reason to think otherwise. His face contorted into a sad, sardonic yet peaceful smile. He hopped to the closet and began to pull out clothing from the racks and shelves. Then he picked up a small suitcase and figured out what in the room he actually wanted to keep and what he could just as soon leave behind. Just as he began to put things in their proper order, a knock sounded at the door.

"Go away, yo," Todd said to the door in general. The knock repeated with more urgency. Todd sighed and stepped over to the door to open it. It was Lance, holding a sad look on his face.

"Can I talk to you, Todd?"

"It's a free world, yo. You'll just have to talk to me while I pack, yo," Todd said as he hopped back to the pile of things he was sorting. Lance stepped in and closed the door.

"You're packing? Where are you going?"

"The X-Mansion, yo. I'm leaving the Brotherhood, Lance. I just need to figure out what I'm taking and what I'm going to leave behind." Todd set a bunch of clothes aside and began to fold up a few shirts and his uniform for battle. Lance watched all this and frowned.

"Why are you leaving the house, Todd? What do you think the X-Geeks can offer you that we can't?"

"I think the X-Geeks can give me a second chance to not be a dirty outsider. Maybe they're wrong like we're wrong...but at least with them I won't have to be cold and alone and not appreciated as much, yo. I mean, I didn't come home last night cause Storm made me stay and then fixed me breakfast. She treated me like I was someone who needed a meal and a shoulder to cry on, yo. She didn't treat me like I thought they would," Todd said as he continued to stuff things into the small bag. He paused for a moment, looking down at the nearly full bag with a wistful smile. "Maybe I can learn what being accepted is like."

"...And you don't think you're accepted here?" Lance asked softly, still not able to believe what he was hearing. He didn't want Todd to leave...did he?

"No, Lance, I really don't. I really feel like I'm just not really a part of this team anymore. With Wanda here and Pietro being the hyper asshole he can be, I'm just not good enough here. No one has seen how much I've been trying to get better for everyone. You think I like getting my ass kicked by the goodie-goods when I go out and try to steal and pickpocket to bring money for this fucking house?!" Todd yelled, finally losing his cool and zipping up his now full bag and hoisting it on his shoulder. He hopped over to the door and stood up to yell some more things into Lance's face. "You think I like being lied to by Mystique and hurt by Magneto and ignored by you and insulted by Wanda, that fucking cunt?!"

"Todd...yo, I know we've been short with everyone around here, but don't go there about Wanda, man. It's not you. You're better then that," Lance replied, genuinely shocked at how things were turning out. He knew he had to find a reason to stay. "Just stay, Todd. I'll find a way to make things better. I swear it."

"Why are you offering now, Lance? Why weren't you offering two weeks ago when I came home beaten up by Duncan and his crew, yo? Why didn't you defend me when I begged Magneto to give me some backup so I could kick their asses? I showed him the security tape I got that had me being beaten by them and all he did is laugh and tell me I needed to fight for once!!" Todd screamed his voice about to break. For a moment, all his anger at being small and short and simple seemed to want to boil over but just as soon as it started it once again stopped. He sighed and looked up at Lance with a sad smile. "You just came too late, yo. I gotta go, yo. I gotta go do this...I gotta see if I can make it on the straight side for once..."

"...If they fuck with you, Todd, you come back home, ok? I promise that if you do, things will be different. I promise that," Lance said, his shoulders slumping slightly as he conceded defeat. "I'm sorry I was too late to keep you from going."

"Don't be. Who knows, yo? Mabye the X-Geeks have the right idea after all?" With that, Todd hopped past Lance and hopped down the stairs. He turned the corner and went into the kitchen where he saw a sheet of paper and a pencil on the counter. He penned a note as his eyes finally began to fill with tears, his cheeks reddening and flushing as the gravity of the situation began to finally show up in his mind. He finished the note and hopped back into the common room, taping the note to the TV as he went by. He nearly made it to the door before a voice stopped him.

"Where are you going, Toad?" Wanda said acidly.

"I'm leaving, Wanda," Todd said softly, "And my name is Todd. Todd Tolensky, in case you hadn't fucking noticed."

"Oh, so now you decide to get a backbone? Where are you going, Toad? Running away cause I don't like you like you like me?" Wanda said, her voice becoming spiteful and childish. For a moment, Todd wavered between telling Wanda where to go...but he decided to take the higher road.

"No. I'm leaving because I need to find out what it's like being in a place where people might be able to love me for me, warts and all. I ain't good looking but I'm someone's child, yo. That means I have a right to find happiness. I just hope you find happiness as well." He stepped to the door and turned the knob but looked back at Wanda with a sad smile. "You know, I do still love you, yo. It's a shame you don't love yourself." At that Todd left, leaving a speechless Wanda Maximoff to stare in his wake and wonder what just happened.

--- 

**A/N:** Wow! What a chapter. Now, some random notes:

**1.** _I apologize if I offended any X23 fans in my previous A/N. I just feel so strongly that the pairing for Todd needs to be with either Todd/Kitty, Todd/Rouge (I'll explain that in a later section...mabye. :D) or Todd/Wanda that I'm kind of beginning to write the last real plot curves as based on relationships and such. But I still need ideas so please don't think I discounted your ideas! I appreciated all the feedback I've gotten to this point._

**2.** _I know the Scarlet Witch is living up to her name in this part, but Wanda, like Todd, is going to go through a lot of changes in this fic. She's not explained now...but believe me, she will be. So all you pro-Wanda fans, don't be alarmed._

**3.** _Please review. It's all the reward I have for writing these chapters. Please. I'm begging you._


	6. Come In, Come In!

_Is it worth it can you even hear me,  
Standing with your spotlight on me,  
Not enough to feed the hungry,  
I'm tired and I felt it for awhile now...  
  
In this sea of lonely,  
The taste of ink is getting old,  
It's four o'clock in the fucking morning,  
Each day gets more and more like the last day...  
  
Still I can see it coming,  
While I'm standing in the river drowning,  
This could be my chance to break out,  
This could be my chance to say goodbye...  
  
At last it's finally over,  
Couldn't take this town much longer,  
Being half dead wasn't what I planned to be,  
Now I'm ready to be free!!  
  
So here I am it's in my hands  
And I'll savor every moment of this...  
So here I am alive at last  
And I'll savor every moment of this...  
-- from 'The Used - The Taste Of Ink'_

---

Todd carried his bag over his shoulder with a sullen and sad look on his face. The lengthening shadows framed the relatively small boy in a sheen of golden sun. His mind seemed almost lost but almost found as he walked the distance from the Brotherhood house to the X-Mansion. Todd liked being on his alone again, even as much as he feared going into the danger room and fighting with the new recruits and dealing with Scott...

Todd could feel the almost unbearable sadness in his heart begin to rise and float a little away from the raw surface of his heart. For th first time in a long time, he was able to look at the world and not see everything as blackness. He could see the other side of the tunnel...and it looked so fucking good. He didn't delude himself, however. Todd pondered the many hard roads he'd have to cross as a member of the X-Men now as he saw the distance to the Mansion grow smaller and smaller. He knew gaining their trust was going to be easily the most difficult of tasks, not to mention the thinking he was doing about getting his underacheving self into shape. Todd realized he wanted to remake himself from the ground up and the realization of this fact made him stop and look at himself in a plate glass window for a long moment. He saw the old Toad, bitter, twisted, confused and angry. He hoped he never had to look at that side of himself ever again...but he also knew that he could not, he dared not forget the struggles that he had gone through to get himself on the other side. He had to remember.

Todd touched the glass softly and gave his old self one last look. It was hard...but then leaving an old friend is always hard. Todd knew this most of all. He hefted his bag back onto his back and continued his solitary journey to the mansion. Soon he reached the gate and hopped over them with considerable ease. He proceeded to the front pathway but was cut off by a streaking Kitty Pryde, who seemed to be more then a little out of breath. Todd watched her run and quickly surmised that all was not well with the brown haired mutant.

"Todd! Todd! You came back!" Kitty exclaimed as she gave Todd the biggest hug she could given her current condition. Todd blinked and hesitated for just a moment before tentatively hugging Kitty back. "You decided to come back! I'm, like, so glad!"

"Um, Kitty, did someone give you something to make you go out of yourself?" Todd asked as he peeled himself from Kitty's grasp, regretting that he did so even as he did but knowing it was the right thing...for the moment.

"No, Todd, I'm just glad you came back. Now we'll be able to finish our conversation! We kind of got interrupted this morning," Kitty said, her eyes unusually bright and shining. She seemed as if she had magically reverted to an age when she could hug boys like that and not feel like she was trying to hit on them. Todd liked Kitty like this; she seemed like the sweet loving younger sister he never got the chance to have. He hoped it wasn't a phase. "I mean, like, you're the first person I've been able to just talk to in the house for a long time and not feel like someone was making me out to be some kind of an idiot."

"I really made you feel like that?"

"Yeah! Todd, you might not have known it...but I did see more of the side you like to hide," Kitty said, a now smug smile crossing her lips. Todd's confused look more then gave her the courage and the confidence to go on, two things she never truly had in spades despite all her claims to the contrary.

"What side do you mean, Kitty?"

"The sweet side. The side that releases birds caught by Duncan and his asshole friends. The side that sits and watches over the flowers on the west side of the school so they don't get picked by horny boys trying to get their way into their dates pants," Kitty said softly earning a deep rosy blush from Todd's cheeks in recognition of the words she was speaking. Kitty had, in the interim of the day, realized now why she had wanted to have Todd rejoin the X-Men for the first time. Kitty Pryde was a developer of people and in Todd she saw someone beautiful inside a wrapping paper shell of ugly. She wanted the beautiful young man she knew was inside of that shell, much as she wanted the beautiful boy that was once inside of Lance. Kitty smiled and stepped into Todd's personal space again, touching his cheek softly. Todd nuzzled his cheek against her hand and stared at her for a long moment.

"You've seen me do all that?" Todd asked softly, not really comprehending that someone might actually appreciate the side of him that wasn't, by nature, an asshole. Kitty nodded and Todd looked off into the distance for a moment. Then he smiled softly and shook his head. "You really are a sneaky girl, you know that?"

"Like, yeah," Kitty replied with a big smile, drawing out the final syllables of the word with exxagerated silliness. Todd laughed a little and put his bag down.

"Well, I'm here. Now what, yo?" Todd asked.

"We get to go inside and watch Scott go ballistic on first sight of you as the newest member of the X-Men. Like, Kurt really, really needs to stop gossiping so much," Kitty said with a wry smile. Todd cocked his head slightly and looked at Kitty with a puzzled expression.

"Scott and Kurt know I was thinking about joining? How? Did you tell them, yo?" Todd asked, his face just slightly beginning to shade over. Kitty touched Todd's hands and smiled softly.

"No, I didn't, Todd. Kurt happened to overhear us earlier today when we went on our walk and one thing lead to another. Before long, the entire house knew that you were thinking of joining. Despite Jean and Scott bitching about your smell, the entire house seemed to be ok with you joining. Storm had a lot to do with that," Kitty said, her face relieved and soft. Todd relaxed a little and picked his bag back up.

"Lead on, Kitty," Todd said as he started walking to the main door. Kitty followed and soon they were in a surprisingly deep conversation as to why Todd tended to smell so much. They reached the door and walked in. Storm and Professor Xavier were there waiting for them. "Welcome to the Mansion, Todd." Professor Xavier said. "I see you've made a decision."

"Yeah. I'm an X-Man now, I guess." Todd smiled sheepishly and flashed the awesome brilliance in his face that he had been hiding for so long. "Feels kinda weird being here without malicious intent, yo."

"Well I can't speak for everyone here...but I'm glad you're here, Todd," Storm said gently. Charles nodded and gestured to Kitty. "Will you show Todd to his new room?"

"Sure, Professor. Where will he be in?"

"He'll be in Room 5 on the main floor." Charles wheeled off with a nod at Todd and the newest X-Men was left with Storm and Kitty, the house echoing with subtle yells from deep inside. Todd looked around, obviously trying to get use to the new place he was in. Storm smiled at Todd and moved closer.

"Todd, how long will you be staying?" She asked.

"As long as Logan doesn't kill me. I'm mad scared of him, yo."

"You don't have to be scared of me. Just respect that my word is law around here," Logan said as he appeared from a side hallway. Todd nearly hopped onto a nearby wall but his arm was held by Kitty who could see the fear in his eyes. "I'm not nearly as mean as everyone makes me out to be," He said with a wry grin. Storm rolled her eyes and sighed as she Todd trying to escape Logan's gaze by any means necessary.

"Logan, must you scare the boy on his first day?"

"Well it's not like he's going to take long to know. Eventually Scott's gonna come home from his 'walk' and then it'll be fun to watch these two go at it," Logan replied, chuckling to himself slightly. Todd stopped his squirming and looked dead level at Logan.

"What do you mean, yo?"

"Kid, to put it baldly, Scott doesn't want you here. He's gotten rather full of himself, in recent days," Logan remarked, "And since he and Jean have gotten together, they seem to be sucking the life out of the house as a whole. Both of them hate Lance and Pietro, for obvious reasons, and since they have some clout here, it was funny to watch them flip out when they found out you might be joining us."

"Like, that's awful!" Kitty exclaimed softly.

"Sure it is. But I can't really blame them for being cautious. I just think they need to go off and get laid or something. They're very tense, those two." At that Storm smacked Logan in the head and looked at him sternly. Logan just grinned and shook his head. "But the rest of the house is eager for you to join. If you can call Kurt nearly ready to pull his hair out eager."

"Fuzzy and I have had issues but we'll work out our differences," Todd said, his voice still a little bit shaky. "It's not like I hate him or anything...we're just rivals."

"Whatever. I just want you to know that while you're here, you'll be expected to do three things: Go to class regularly, do chores around here, and go to training sessions with the main team. We're going to ease you in gradually but soon you'll be running a session a day like everyone else. Which reminds me, where were you during session today, half-pint?" Logan asked, looking at Kitty.

"The Professor said I could do a solo session today since I was helping Amara put out that fire that started in rec room 3," Kitty said, "And I plan to do my session in about an hour. Can I show Todd what I do as a bit of a primer?"

"Well...alright. Get him settled in and then do your session. I don't want you slacking off just cause that little firecracker can't control herself sometimes." Logan grumbled and walked off. Todd watched him go and sighed.

"He's...different then before, yo."

"As well he should be, Todd," Storm said with her eyes giving Logan a bit of a wry glare. "You've only seen him on the battlefield. But at home, he's much less tense and rageful. Not nearly enough to make him calm...but still. He's also been getting much more towards his age as of late, which concerns me...dirty pervert..." Storm muttered as she saw both kids giggling slightly. "Anyway, Todd, have Kitty show you your room then I'll give you something to eat if you like. Dinner won't be on for a while and I know you're probably hungry."

"Actually, I just kind of want to get to my room and take a shower, yo. It's been a long day," Todd replied. Storm smiled and nodded.

"Well when you want to come talk, I'll be in the kitchen. It's Rahne's night to cook so she and I will be doing a dish from my homeland tonight." At that she left and Kitty and Todd were once again, alone. Kitty looked at Todd and Todd smiled back at her nervously.

"So...you gonna show me my room now or what?"

"Sure. Follow me." Kitty tugged on Todd's arms and the two of them went off into the mansion's inner workings. Soon they got to the upper rooms where the students lived. Kitty stopped at the end of the hall at room 5 and opened the door. The room was small, as it was a single, but spacious. A desk and a full sized bed were in the middle of the room and a large closet sat on the other side. All in all, a room for a student. Todd put his bag down and turned around to look at Kitty.

"Well...before I go off and take a shower...um..."

"Yes, Todd?" Kitty chirped brightly, showing off the brilliant smile that SHE possessed. Todd gulped and looked down for a moment.

"Um...Well, I...Fuck it!" At that he leaned over and kissed Kitty on the cheek. She smiled and hugged him close to her, surprising him a little but he didn't stop kissing her. She kissed him back and soon their lips met for the first time. It was a short kiss to be sure but it was their first real kiss and they both liked it so much that they didn't want to let go. Todd finally pulled back and smiled at her, now chock full of confidence. "Thanks for letting me know that I'm not as ugly as everyone says I am. Both inside and out, yo."

"It's my pleasure, Todd. And you're not."

"Not what?"

"...ugly..." At that Kitty finally got the worst of her embarassment and ran from the room, blushing furiously as the impact of what she had done finally came to her senses. Todd watched after her and sighed, a smile on his face. For once he didn't feel like celebrating loudly; all he wanted to do was smile and smile and smile. After a moment, he turned to his bags and began to unpack.

*** 

Mystique walked up the main path to the Brotherhood mansion after a long day of life on the edge of sanity to see her entire team minus Todd sitting in the living room, looking surprisingly sad and serious. Her eyes quickly scanned the scene and she wondered what was going on. "Lance? What's going on?"

"Todd's gone, Mystique," Lance muttered darkly. Lance looked down at the table in the middle of the room and frowned deeply. Beside him, Wanda just seemed to have a lost look on her face, much unlike her normal self. Pietro seemed the least affected by this, Mystique saw, as he sat in a chair near the doorway with a smug expression on his face. Fred, however, looked like he was going to cry and weep at the first bad word. He stood against the wall and looked out the window sadly and silently.

"Gone where?"

"He's left the house for good, Mystique. He's joined the X-Men. He's left us and we want him back."

"Speak for yourself, Lance," Pietro said dismissively. "I say, let the X-Geeks have him. He annoyed the piss out of me way too much. And he never got me my bean sprouts."

"Pietro...I'm about this fucking close to kicking your ass if you don't shut up. Don't you have any fucing loyalty to Todd? He worked his ass off for us and all we did was forget about him!" Lance yelled.

"Lance, don't get all high on your horse now. You're just as guilty as we all are because you yelled at him just as much. Don't make this all out to be my fault," Pietro acidly replied.

"Silence, all of you!" Mystique said calmly but sharply. All of them turned to look at her, save Fred who still looked out the window. "Why he left is not important. What is important is that we get him back here and make sure he doesn't tell anything about us. We are not to be discovered by that little slimeball. I've worked too hard to be humiliated and defeated by a worthless little scum like him."

At that moment, Fred, who had not said a word since before things began, proceeded to walk towards Mystique. He said not a word but grabbed her by the neck and proceeded to lift her up into the air. Despite the shouts from the others, he gripped her neck in one of his big hands and slammed her into a nearby wall. The expression on his face could be called pure rage, in the simplest form possible. Mystique was so shocked by Fred's speed and actions that it was all she could do to wriggle and try to get free. Fred felt her body go limp as he began to really tighten down on her jugular vein.

"Fred, stop it! You'll kill her!" Lance screamed.

"That's the fucking idea," Fred calmly said. But he did loosen his grip to allow her the ability to breathe. "What's stopping me from killing you Mystique is this: While I'm here, you will not disturb Todd from what he has to do. You will not lead us on any mission to attack the X-Geeks over him and you will not say one more derisive thing about my little buddy ever again."

"Fred, put her down," Wanda said calmly. Fred did so but not without a bit of a shove. "Good. Now listen to me: We're all upset about Todd leaving but we can't do anything about it now. We have to wait and then see if we can get him back. He's family...and sometimes family just needs to spend time apart."

"Wanda, what's gotten into you?!" Pietro shrieked. "He was your biggest pain in the ass! He annoyed you to no end! Why are you defending him?!"

"I'm defending him because I made a mistake. I pushed away the only person in this house besides Lance who cared about me. I don't make mistakes often...but letting Todd go was a mistake. I see that now," Wanda said, her voice dropping right off the table to show the real regret in her heart. She did, in fact, miss Todd. What he said to her as he left had affected her deeply and once she had gotten past the anger and rage at her minor humiliation, she had to recognize that he was right. She didn't love herself and she didn't want to before. But now...now she was thinking that Todd's leaving was going to hurt more then she ever wanted it to.

"Fuck this! I'm tired of this shit. I'm going out," Pietro said as he zipped off out the door. Mystique emerged from her little mini-coma at that point and looked at Fred who glaed down at her with dead, cold, and angry eyes.

"...you'll pay for that, Fred," Mystique hissed.

"Oh and you're going to hurt me, Mystique? I'm the Blob! No one hurts the fucking Blob except you when you drove my little buddy away...you bitch...you fucking whore bitch..." At that Fred broke down and started crying like a little boy. Wanda went over to him and lead him away, very much unlike her but she could feel the anger radiating off of Fred's massive frame. That left a very shaked Mystique to deal with an extremely pissed off Lance.

"Like the big man said, we're not going to the X-Geeks to get him back. He deserves some happiness and we couldn't give it. So we're letting him go. For now." Lance helped Mystique to her feet and lead her to the couch. Mystique glared at Lance as he sat down and wondered what the hell had happened in the house while she was gone.

"Lance, what makes you think that Magneto is going to care about what happens to that little boy? Magneto is going to want him because he knows about him and the Acolytes and the little things in this house. He won't be safe so long as Magneto is around. Don't you see that?" Mystique asked, her human side beginning to finally re-emerge.

"We're not working for the big man anymore. Not like this. At least I'm not," Lance muttered darkly. Mystique looked at him impassively but curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's over. At least as it's concerned with the X-Geeks. I'm not fighting them anymore because my friend thought they were better then the home he was in. Mabye he's right. But I know this: I'm not hurting my friend anymore, even if he is on the other side now. And Magneto can come down here and tell me I'm wrong if he damn well wants to. I'm through caring about the X-Geeks. I care about us." Lance set his jaw and finally asserted his leadership for once. Mystique saw that despite her fear and servitude to Magneto, the entire team except Magneto would follow Lance in this. She sighed and nodded her assent to all that Lance had said. Lance sighed grimly and looked down at his hands.

"He said he didn't have a family here...Mystique, did we fail him?"

"...I don't know, Lance," Mystique answered for the first time as an independent being in a long time. "I just don't know. I do know that Magneto is going to pitch a fit when he hears about this."

--- 

**A/N:**More notes after yet another shocking chapter:

**1.** Logan is slightly OOC here...but he's a slightly different Logan then in the comics...so why not make him a little less staticky and more sleazy on the front end? But trust me, all you loyal fans, the anti-social blade wielding maniac you know and love will be back. Just...different. :D  
**2.** Schmoopy scenes are what I tend to write only when there is good reason to, but I couldn't resist the Todd/Kitty kissing scene. Anyone have any thoughts about that?  
**3.** Thank you again to everyone who takes the time to review. You're the reason why I write this. The next chapter is going to be flashback laden as I explain Mystique, Lance, Kitty, Todd and Pietro's reactions in this chapter. Lots of plot justification is coming. :D Also, keep giving me ideas for pairings. The vote is between Todd/Kitty and Todd/Wanda but I need to pair Lance with someone later on and there will be a minor subplot with Mystique. Give me ideas!


	7. Cyclops, The Psychotic Control Freak

Storm smiled a little as she placed the pan of food in the over to warm up. Over her shoulder, she could hear Rahne's soft Scottish accent wafting across the room. The kitchen was warm and all the people in the house, in one form or another, could he heard getting ready for the evening meal. She liked that at least they tried to maintain a semblance of a family on these nights.

"So what's Toad like, Miss Storm?" Rahne asked, shaking Storm out of her reverie.

"His name is Todd, Rahne, and he's a very nice boy underneath all his bitterness. Think of him as a less egotistical, somewhat sweeter version of Bobby." Storm wiped her hands on a nearby towel and turned to face the younger girl. Each member of each team cooked with the adults in the evening, to try and foster a sense of team unity regardless of rank. The third member of their little crew had not shown up yet and Storm idly wondered where he was.

"Well...I'll believe it when I see it. I dinnae believe someone can change that quickly," Rahne said with more then a bit of spice in her voice. Storm smiled and shook her head slightly.

"That's the thing, Rahne. Todd has always been like this; no one chose to see it. Even me."

"Why did you fight so hard against Scott's objections, Miss Storm?" Rahne asked, leaning against a side counter and looking into her eyes.

"I guess I just remembered what it was like to be on the streets in my homeland, stealing as he did just to get by. I wanted Todd to have the same chance I had...and I guess I was just tired of Scott deciding that it was his responsibility to pass judgement on people before he knew their story," Storm said, her voice telling more of the meeting with Scott then her words did. Just as she spoke the words from her brain, however, the door to the kitchen opened and Scott Summers walked in, his eyes still looking angry and his hands tense.

"Is he here, Storm?" Scott asked pointedly.

"And good evening to you too, Scott," Storm said with a patient look. "To answer your question, yes, Todd has arrived and he's upstairs taking a shower before dinner."

"Good. That will give me plenty of time to talk to him," Scott replied with a grim look, very much unlike his normally optimistic demeanor.

"You'll do nothing of the sort Scott, at least not until he's had something to eat and at least a semblance of conversation with us. I'll not have you set off more fireworks until we all get together and see if this can work," Storm said, her hands moving to her hips and and her eyes locking Scott down with a massive stare. Scott found he couldn't match her gaze and looked away while Rahne just watched the two of them, eyes impassive yet slightly bright.

"...I'm sorry, Storm. I should be setting a better example for the team, I know. It's just that I can't stand Toad or his Boss, Alvers," Scott spat out, his head shaking a little. "I mean, doesn't anyone see that all Toad is to Lance is a henchman for Lance's stupid plans? I don't want someone like Lance here. We need team players, not goons without class."

"So now I don't have any class, yo?" Todd asked as he walked into the kitchen, his ears hearing every one of Scott's angry words. He hopped over the table and stood next to Rahne, his normally amber eyes shining a deep rich crimson flecked with spots of gold. "Coming from you, one-eye, that's rich. But then again, you're Jean's lap dog, so I don't expect much tolerance from you anyway..."

"And just what's that supposed to mean?" Scott yelled his voice about to take the varnish off of the cabinets Rahne and Todd leaned against.

"It means that you're letting your woman's opinion of me cloud your own judgement of what you saw me do to support my own house, Scott." A pause happened while Todd organized his thoughts better. "I mean, you're the one who kept busting me when I was shoplifting for the brotherhood house food budget. You saw me with the lists of groceries we just had to have. You saw it all and yet you still think I'm this little lapdog of Lance's, yo. At least I take care of my own, yo. I helped my friends when it really mattered."

"And you think I don't?"

"Scott, Todd, stop this," Storm said sharply. Both boys fell silent at the motherly tone that slid into Storm's voice. "We'll have plently of time to talk about all of this. But not now. Dinner is nearly ready and Rahne and I have worked too hard to see either of you ruin it with your arguing."

"Whatever. I'll be up for dinner. I gotta get away for a while," Scott said, striding out of the room after he shot Todd a rather nasty glare. Todd sighed and looked at Storm sadly.

"I dinnae think Scott would take things this badly," Rahne said softly, her hand instinctively touching Todd's arm. Both felt the contact and drew away with only a single sidelong glance at one another. Rahne felt her face blush a little. Todd smiled softly back. Storm saw this and sighed, smiling a little herself. She knew that the girls were beginning to see the heartthrob in Todd come out and it would be very interesting to see what was going to happen next.

"Don't worry, child," Storm said with a patient tone. "Scott is just annoyed about a lot of things. Things will calm down."

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea, Storm," Todd said softly. "I don't want Scott to hate me all the time just because of my past, yo. He hates Lance but he doesn't realize that I think of Lance as my big brother. Lance and Fred are my brothers, or at least they should be, yo. Scott has his little brother, why can't I have someone I care about?"

"You know about Alex?" Storm asked, rather impassively.

"Lance bitched about him once when he was still chasing Kitty. He was a bit annoyed when he saw Alex during the whole Asteroid nonsense as well...but I think he's just protective of the entire house. " Todd said calmly. He walked over to the door and looked back at Storm and Rahne. "I'm going to go talk to Scott, yo."

"Do'ya think that's a good idea?" Rahne asked, her eyes shining a little bit.

"It can't hurt. He needs to know that I'm here for the long haul. I've got nowhere else to go and I'm not fighting him over this stuff, yo."

"Personally, I think you should wait for a little while, Todd," Storm said as she pulled out some plates from a cabinet, "But if you feel the two of you should work things out, he'll probably be downstairs in the garage. If you do go, bring him up for dinner. We'll be serving in 15 minutes."

"Cool, yo." At that, Todd hopped out but then hopped back in. "Um...where's the garage?" At that, Rahne shook her head, laughed a little and walked out of the kitchen, grabbing Todd's arm and dragging him along with her. Storm watched it all and just smiled; normality was beginning to come back to the mansion.

***** 

Scott stormed down to the garage, steam practically floating off his ears. He had never been this angry and the worst part was, he had no idea why he had the anger in him in the first place. Memories of every other night seeing Toad with money in his hand to buy food swirled in front of his eyes. He couldn't deal with the fact that by upholding the law he made it harder for an entire house to live and survive. He knew deep down that his justification for doing what he did was merely a way to keep sane. He knew that the differences in the Brotherhood and the X-Men were tearing him apart inside.

But what he also thought about incessantly was Lance Alvers. Avalanche. Lance Alvers was his reason for training as hard as he did; his reason for pushing everyone as hard as he did. Even Logan began to remark that he was beginning to take a much harder edge now as an instructor and team leader. Scott didn't think he meant it as a compliment, even from a hardass like the canuck but he disregarded it and moved on. And yet...at the end of the day, he wanted to show that he was the better leader, the better friend, the better teammate then Alvers was. Scott felt that Lance was a leader by default, whereas he was a leader by choice.

He was also troubled by the fact that though Pietro may have been the little piss boy for Magneto, Lance still lead that crew. And Toad was his henchman, his riding partner. He saw how close the two of them were...well, could be. He saw it and he didn't like the idea that Toad was leaving, not because he was a traitor but because what Scott hated most was unloyal assholes. He didn't like change and didn't think that people could change or become better, no matter how much of what the Professor said filtered through his ears. He knew all this and he knew that now life was going to get much tougher.

Scott went into the garage and immediately opened the door to his red convertible, sitting in the driver's seat and reaching for the glove compartment. He pulled out a pack of clove cigarettes and pulled one out. The cherry red filter stared at him as he grabbed a matchbook and lit up. The first few drags on the tasty cigarette let him calm down a little before he had to go and be civil at the table. He took another deep drag...and then he heard it.

"Shades smokes? Who would have guessed it?" Todd said as he looked on astonished from the doorway. Rahne stood just behind him, her eyes wide but her expression impassive. The both watched as Scott sat the cigarette down in the ashtray and took a deep breath to compose himself before speaking.

"Yes, I smoke an occasional clove cigarette here to calm myself down and if either of you tell anyone, I'll kill you where you stand," Scott said very calmly and quietly. He looked over at both younger mutants with venom running through his eyes, escaping to the sides of his face and visor. "I'd like it if both of you left because I need to calm myself down before I have to go to dinner."

"I can't do that, Scott." Todd replied calmly despite his voice cracking just slightly.

"And why is that?"

"I can't leave now because we need to talk. As the leader of this team, you need to talk to me instead of just running around yelling about how much you don't like me. So we're either going to do this now or do this after a bad training session where I don't listen or respect you." For a moment neither spoke, Rahne still looking on in slight shock and awe at the two boys. She slid her eyes from Scott's angry glare to Todd's determined yet vaguely frightened face.

"...Fine. Get in. Rahne, go upstairs and tell everyone the two of us will be back in 20 minutes." Scott said as he looked away and grabbed the cigarette, taking a long drag into his body. Rahne gently squeezed Todd's shoulder and turned off causing the frog boy to look at her for a moment with a bit of confusion and wonder. He then turned and hopped from the doorway to the other side of Scott's convertible settling in the deep bucket seat and noticing things for the first time. He looked at Scott looking off into the distance despite the garage door blocking his view. "Let's get down to it. You want to know why I don't want you here?" Scott asked softly.

"I'd like to know, yo."

"You're not what I'd consider someone I'd want around me. Period. You're a slimy, no respect giving asshole without any respect for authority. You lie, you cheat, you steal and you're an unhygienic slime bag to boot. Todd, you're everything I hate in people. Honestly and truly. Normally, I'd give people a chance but you worked with Lance and for Magneto. You were Lance's right hand thug and I don't think you'll ever change. That's why I don't want you here." Scott exhaled sharply and took another drag out of his cigarette before looking at the smaller boy. "But you're here now and there's nothing I can do. So frankly all I hope is that you don't give me a reason to kick your ass and beat you half to death for betraying us. We've had enough people fuck us over. We don't need you joining in." Scott looked off again and took another drag, the cigarette now nearly finished.

"Scott, do you remember the whole Asteroid M thing? When you and your brother decided to go and be Magneto's little piss boys?" Todd asked softly, knowing the pissboy line would make Scott look at him in shock. Scott did just as he thought but then saw the hurt and pain in Todd's face, making his own features soften a little. He looked down at the burning butt in his hand and decided to put it out in the ashtray.

"I do."

"What you don't know is that Magneto decided that he'd have everyone fight in one on one battles to see who got free passes to the Asteroid. I lost, the rest of the Brotherhood didn't. That day marked the last day I was ever able to really be a part of the Brotherhood. Knowing that you were the sole idiot that wasn't worthy of your bosses glory, that's the toughest thing I've had to deal with. Knowing that your crew wouldn't help you when you were being harassed and nearly raped by Duncan Matthews, that's dealing with being alone. Knowing that if you got stopped by an X-Man from stealing food to feed your house and still get yelled at by a reborn Mystique for failure, that is knowing what it's like to not be appreciated." Todd's voice trailed off for a moment and he looked down at his hands. Scott forced his head not to move as he looked over at the paint cans on a wall mounted shelf, trying not to let Todd know that he was close to choking up at hearing his words. Images from his own childhood in the orphanage flashed before his eyes and he noticed that his heart was beating just a little faster.

"Scott, you can hate me for everything I've done. You can hate me for everything I am. You can hate me for everything you think I am. But if you're going to hate me, you're going to hate me for the truth, yo. You're going to hate me for risking my life to save Wanda from being completely brainwashed by her father and Mastermind. Kurt helped me with that one, yo, and I owe him a lot." Todd paused to clear a knot from his throat and wipe at his misty eyes. "You're going to hate me for stealing food and money for my crew because Magneto decided to cut us off from money and food to toughen us up after the whole Asteroid saga. You're going to hate me because I'm too much of a wimp to stop Duncan from hurting me. But you're not going to hate me because of shit you don't know. Shit you assume, I don't particularly care about, yo."

"...how do I know you're not lying?"

"I'll have the Professor walk you through my memories, yo. Normally, I'd tell someone to go fuck off if they said half the shit you said to me...but you the team leader here. If I'm going to trust anyone here, I might as well be you. You're the one I'm probably going to yell at when something goes wrong that isn't my fault." A long moment passed and no one spoke until Todd spoke again, slower then before. "Scott, this is my chance to prove I'm not just a throwaway. This is my chance and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone, even you, stand in my way. If Magneto wants to kill me for defecting, so be it. If everyone here wants to not want me around, so be it. But I'm going to work as hard as possible to prove I'm worth something. And no one is going to stop me."

"You really want to be here?" Scott asked, his voice low and surprisingly tight.

"Yeah, yo. I've been on the darker side of life too long. It's time for me to give a shot on the lighter side of life. Here's the only spot I think I might be able to get that chance."

"Then know this: if you coming here is all a plot to get us by Magneto, I'll personally kill you wherever you are. Like I said, no one is going to break this team up again." Scott took a deep breath and looked at Todd. "But for now, I'll give you a chance. Just watch it."

"Sure, yo."

"Let's go. Storm's going to kick my ass if we miss dinner. She's cool about a lot of things, but dinner is one of the few things she takes really personally." At that both boys got out and walked to the doorway. Todd stepped through, his feet about to carry him into the hallway leading to the stairs when Scott's hand stopped him. "I've got a few questions, though."

"Shoot."

"One, how is Mystique back? Did she survive the crash in the first place?"

"She did. And to be perfectly frank, she's only with Magneto because it's a place to live and a warm house to be in. Somewhat. She wasn't very healthy though, and still isn't, hence why she's not been out at all. We were trying to keep her reappearing a secret till the right time."

"Ok. Two, what's the deal with your smell?"

"I don't shower much. It's my own way of keeping people off of me. Frogs and toads have their own unique smell to start with, but me being a mutant has mine coming off less strong then normal. Add in my own usual not showering and you get an impenetrable wall of funk that can keep people from hurting me." Todd smirked a little and looked back at Scott for a moment. "Plus, I've got sensitive skin. I have to buy special soap if I wanna shower really well, considering I'll get sick and throw up a lot if I use stuff that is too strong."

"I didn't know that."

"Most people don't."

"Well now I do. Finally, are you being serious that Duncan tried to rape you?" Scott asked, his voice soft.

"...I'm not ashamed of what happened but he did try to rape me. Three times. I told Kitty it was only twice...but there was a third time. I have it on tape in my bag."

"What?"

"Apparently, the idiots decided to beat me up and attempt to abuse me underneath a hidden camera for the school's parking lot. I figured out where I was and saw the camera pointed straight at me. The next day got into the school's security office. I found the tape from the day and made sure to take it with me." Todd looked away for a moment. "That tape is going to be part of my exposing and then finally finishing this war between Duncan and I."

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, his voice getting just a touch more stern.

"You'll see. But that's enough from me now. Come on, yo. I'm hungry," Todd said as he turned and walked up the hallway, disappearing through the door at the top of the stairs. Scott looked at Todd's retreating form for a moment and sighed. Once again, disaster was averted...but for how long?

***** 

**A/N: **You know, these chapters are taking longer and longer to produce. But the quality is good. So that is good to know.

I'm looking for a muse, someone who can help me flesh out plots for my work and theirs. Anyone want to take the job, let me know. My profile has all my contact information. AIM is your best bet.

I know I said the next chapter of this story would have the rest of the Brotherhood but this little scene was far too good to pass up. Brotherhoodness will be soon...that is, if you review. All this is because of ya'll. So please, if you've gotten this far, do me a favor and review. Holla back. :D


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